continued conversation in Juxtapoz magazine (on-line only)

There's a few reasons why I put stuff about me up on here, first it's probably becuase it's late and i have not thought about or found anything else cool to put up, second as in today, for some reason (see next sentence) i thought i might be able to pass around a bit more inspiration. I got a really nice e-mail from COOP after he read my interview in Juxtapoz's 100th issue (which he is also featured in). He said: "Just wanted to give you an electronic high five for speaking up so eloquently about craft and skill in your interview. I'm also fed up with the "anything goes" nature of the fine art world. Learning to do your job and increasing your skills and knowledge is a necessity in any profession, and it certainly should be for those of us trying to make art. - Keep it up, dude."
Now isn't that fucking nice? I think so.


So really this is just me talking, with Katie Zuppann from Juxtapoz (who kind of set the pace/tone of the interview i did with Shepard Fairey in that 100th Juxtapoz), along with Debra Anderson of Culture Shock Marketing a bit after Shepard had to run off to a special event at his Studio Number One. Here's a bite from me:

"You’ve got to call a spade a spade. Too many people are afraid of saying things, what they believe. These are things that I believe in, I’m not afraid of my truth. I’m not bullshitting, I don’t have ulterior motives, I’m not trying to get more commercial work, I’m not trying to get more friends, I don’t like to get more enemies, although I do seem to get more of those than I do friends.

The people who know me love me, people who are my friends appreciate me, people who don’t tell the truth or people who are fakers, toys, people who are not hard workers, they don’t like me too much. I’m not pointing them out by name necessarily; if something’s bogus I’m going to say it. I’m tired of the bullshit getting in the way of the good stuff. Therefore we have to push it aside and clear the way for the good stuff to come back again.

There are plenty of great photographers out there and there are plenty of great painters out there. Probably all the bullshit that’s out there hides them. It’s in the way of us seeing them. It’s definitely out there. Just because I’m not seeing it or I’m not inspired by those bands, I know they’re out there. I’ve run across little pockets, and people, in places I’d never imagine and seen incredible stuff. But there’s so much bullshit that’s clouding it for the good stuff. That’s part of the motivation for doing this, to get the good stuff out there and get the bullshit out of the way and call the bullshit when you see it. People are afraid to do that, and I’m not afraid to do that.

I’m sorry if it’s not polite or it’s not friendly or if I seem egomaniacal or opinionated or whatever the silly words are that they put negative connotations on, what the fuck is wrong with having an opinion? If it’s based on something? If you’re a movie critic and you’ve never made a movie then I’m just going to take that into consideration. I’m an artist, I’ve been around a lot of art, I don’t know everything, I’m a pretty dumb guy, but compared to the average person, maybe I know a little bit more. I read a little bit more, I research a little bit more, I listen a little bit more. That’s why I have confidence in what I say. If I’ve been wrong a lot, I probably have a little bit of confidence, or less confidence than I do. You live and learn, and you keep going forward."

read the rest of it here if you want (but that's probably the best of it, ha!), lots of pictures too.